Coast economy set for 2015 growth

Bill HoffmanWhether taking on developers hell-bent on destroying the Coast’s natural appeal or a Prime Minister indifferent to the plight of the poor, Bill Hoffman has never been one to mince his words. Bill’s been a journalist for 32 years, 29 of those on the Coast. Love him or hate him, he'll get you blogging.

The retail sector is enjoying a bumper Christmas with budget targets being achieved and in many cases exceeded daily.

The hospitality sector, enjoying its second consecutive summer of ideal weather, is also "chugging along nicely", according to Noosa's king of food, Jim Berardo.

The 2015 Noosa Food and Wine Festival he heads will bring national and global attention to the region in May and demonstrates how sector value can be enhanced.

November's G20 three-day exodus from Brisbane for the beach signalled the start of what has become a summer to savour for the tourism sector.

It will benefit from a falling Australian dollar, particularly against the New Zealand dollar, and the Kiwi market may deliver real rewards in 2015.

There is a real sense across the community that the post-GFC grind has finally been relieved.

We are unlikely to get much sense out of the region's politicians until after the state election, which is due in March. But now is exactly the right time to be asking the tough questions about where to from here.

Now is the time to seriously consider the settings necessary to activate still dormant elements of the Coast economy.

Agricultural production targeting high-yield market niches needs to be ramped up, leveraging off the "naturally refreshing" branding that is the Sunshine Coast's point of difference.

That natural advantage is the market advantage, whose value must be consistently protected and enhanced.

There are worrying signs, at a state level but also increasingly among our local government representatives, that the power of this advantage isn't really understood. The silence of our elected representatives in the face of policy changes that threaten the environment has been deafening.

The investment focus needs to shift to areas that offer long-term, higher-paying employment.

The aspiration to be Australia's most sustainable region has real economic advantages that require more than lip-service to realise.

That will require leadership and a willingness to seek out, and give power to, fresh voices and perspectives.

And it would do no harm to ask former Kellogg International president and CEO David Mackay or Foreign Minister Julie Bishop's chief of staff why they chose to call the Sunshine Coast home.